2025 NHL Draft Thread

[Mass_nerder]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Anyone watching the U-18’s? Brady Martin has practically been the best player there. He’s farmboy strong, and when opponents try to hit him, they bounce off. He’s been outskating everybody too. Button keeps saying, don’t be surprised if he’s picked in the top five, and I agree. Get him away from the Greyhounds, and he looks like a world-beater.

I'm always a little concerned about prospects who are already physically mature and physically dominate their peers who haven't grown into their bodies yet. Is that a concern with Martin?

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Nelson

Energy player was Steven Ellis’ opinion, but I think you have to at least have some reservations because of that opinion. Cootes had 63 points in 60 games in the WHL, in his draft year. If Cootes and Reschny are available, I definitely want Reschny. Do you disagree with that?

I don’t disagree, but the reason that Cootes only had 63 points is because he plays for the Seattle Thunderbirds, who are awful.

[Ba'alzamon]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Mrtka is so damn good, he makes everything look so effortless. 2nd-best defenseman available in the draft, without a doubt.

He should probably go ahead and buy a vowel now, though. The $200 might hurt in the short term, but he's going to be making bank relatively soon anyway.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Mass_nerder

I'm always a little concerned about prospects who are already physically mature and physically dominate their peers who haven't grown into their bodies yet. Is that a concern with Martin?

Nope. He’s listed at 6’0”, and only 174lbs, so plenty of room to grow. When they showed him getting ready for the game, he looked fairly slim.

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I always worry about the guys who can dominate physically against other kids their age. It makes them look like they are more talented than they are, when much of it is simply that they are stronger. Well, they won't be stronger in the NHL.

I have a theory that one of the reasons larger players tend to underperform their draft slotting is that they are over-rated, simply because they have a physical advantage at 18 (which they won't have in the NHL).

Let me be clear: I am fully in the 'you need size as well as skill to win in the NHL' camp. I'm just saying that when you watch 18 year olds, some are men and some are boys, and the men are going to look more talented than they are, and will get over-rated.

100%. Bodies and mass are so hard to project, too.

[Tkachukwagon]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1917970925745742233

[FBI]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I was going to do a Mock after the U-18's, so this list may change. I put Schafer first, even though I would personally take Misa, because of what McKenzie said about Schaefer being heavily favored by scouts. This is just my opinion, I welcome any comments:

1) D Matt Schaefer
2) C Mike Misa
3) C Caleb Desnoyers
4) RW Porter Martone
5) C Roger McQueen
6) C Anton Frondell
7) C James Hagens
8) C Brady Martin
9) D Radim Mrtka
10) D Jackson Smith
11) LW Victor Eklund
12) C Jake O'Brien
13) LW Lynden Lakovic
14) D Kashawn Aitcheson
15) RW Justin Carbonneau
16) D Logan Hensler
17) C Cole Reschny
18) C Braeden Cootes
19) LW Malcolm Spence
20) C/LW Bill Zonnon
21) C Carter Bear
22) C Ivan Ryabkin
23) C Ben Kindel
24) D Cam Reid
25) C Jack Murtagh
26) LW Jakob Ihs-Wozniak
27) G Josh Ravensbergen
28) C Jack Nesbitt
29) C Cole McKinney
30) D Blake Fiddler
31) D Henry Brzustewicz
32) C Will Horcoff
33) C Milton Gastrin
34) C Will Moore

Thanks for this, DAMN we just missed out on Reschny booo

[Enoch Root]

We need Team Ontario to knock off the Panthers in Round 2. There are some good names that are going to disappear, between 22 and 30ish

[YyjFlames]

Originally Posted by Nelson

I listened to Steven Ellis hour on Flames Talk, and I left even more convinced that the player, whom the Flames should want and might be available at 18, is Cole Reschny. Cole Reschny is a centre, who is young-ish for the draft year and has excellent production (NHLe of 36.7). Ellis says Reschny looks unstoppable and has high upside. Brady Martin is going to be gone. Braeden Cootes sounds like an energy player. Benjamin Kindel is more of a winger than a centre.

Reschny scored at an NHLe rate of 46 since January 1 (including playoffs), which was basically the same as Catton's regular season scoring pace.

Catton's flipped another switch in the playoffs--although (and I've said this before) Reschny and his line looked really good head-to-head against him and Cristall on both sides of the puck.

[YyjFlames]

Sigh... Meet Cole Reschny, the hottest prospect in the 2025 NHL Draft: ‘He stirs the drink’

I wanted him when he was falling down draft boards into the second round!

“I will say this: I don’t know if a player in our league had a better second half than him. (And) I know there’s not one player that I can think of who played better in the playoffs,” [coach James] Patrick said. “He put this team on his back and his playmaking and compete were elite.”

[Funkhouser]

I've essentially given up hope to get Reschny or Martin. Too bad, as Reschny has been my top target outside the top 8 all year.

Holding out hope for Cootes and praying the Panthers lose in Rd 2.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I always worry about the guys who can dominate physically against other kids their age. It makes them look like they are more talented than they are, when much of it is simply that they are stronger. Well, they won't be stronger in the NHL.

I have a theory that one of the reasons larger players tend to underperform their draft slotting is that they are over-rated, simply because they have a physical advantage at 18 (which they won't have in the NHL).

Let me be clear: I am fully in the 'you need size as well as skill to win in the NHL' camp. I'm just saying that when you watch 18 year olds, some are men and some are boys, and the men are going to look more talented than they are, and will get over-rated.

(This is a longer post, and I guess I had a lot to say about this topic. Not everything is directly related to your post Enoch, and I actually generally agree with your concerns and I usually share them as well).



Completely understand what you are saying, but this is when proper scouting comes in. I think a lot of these guys fail simply because of poor scouting, or simply because it is an 18 year old draft, period.


For instance, this board still rages about the Keegan Kanzig and Hunter Smith picks, but they do it without any context for the most part other than size. They just assume that both of these players were talentless goons who were drafted only for their size and nothing else.



In Kanzig's case, the Flames had their org meetings in Vancouver that year, and Button decided to get everyone to take the ferry over and go and check out Kanzig. He was on their radar from the previous season already. Every scout loved him. They kept tabs on him throughout the season, and Kanzig took big developmental steps. He was lauded for his IQ, his leadership at a young age, his amazing work ethic, and his footspeed vs size. He didn't just destroy guys along the boards or in front of the net, but he also stuffed a lot of zone entries and plays with his long reach, IQ and mobility. It just didn't work out, and people still complain about that pick without the background surrounding the pick (most importantly, the fact that they had scouted him intensively for a couple of years). I am sure Cammarata's name popped up as one of the guys that the Flames should have drafted instead (less than 10 picks after Kanzig). He was 5'7", but a wizard. 59GP, 38G 55A 93PTS in his draft year. He ended up playing exactly the same number of games as Kanzig did - zero. I am sure nobody would be bringing up his name at all as a 'waste of a pick'. It would have been thought of as a great attempt at an out-of-the-park homerun, even though had Kanzig developed into whom they thought he would, he would have been an absolute out of the park homerun himself. Imagine Regehr, but only bigger and much more mean and scary.



Hunter Smith is the other guy that really seems to be the poster child for the anti-size movement here. Like Kanzig, people just said: "The Flames wasted a pick on drafting a goon". Nope, that's not what it was. Again, the Flames were scouting this guy intensively. He got passed over in his draft year, but the Flames invited him to camp. There was a good chance that he would have gotten signed that year, but unfortunately, he was injured and couldn't come. The next year saw him have a 'break-out' year - he played in all situations - PK, PP and with top-line players, and he did well. Flames felt that they needed to take him with the pick they did. In the end, one only has to look at what Klapka is becoming to understand what the Flames saw in Hunter Smith. I am sure there are many other small skilled guys who were available at the Smith pick who also busted, and again, I would bet that nobody would have blinked an eye and probably would have just said it was an unfortunate miss, but good on the Flames for taking that swing. Mangiapane was also an overager taken by the Flames after experiencing a dramatic increase in points in his draft+1 year. Sometimes these over-agers work out simply because they were on teams with more depth and never got the right opportunities before.



Is prospect X the next Eric Lindros or Alexander Ovechkin? Or is he the next Mark McNeil?



Another great example, and another player that I really wanted the Flames to take back in the day - Ryan Murphy. Super slick defencemen, although undersized. Apparently he was also super-developed physically, just short. He was able to get to pucks quicker and do some of the things he was able to do because of his overly-developed physique. Some people saw it as a good thing (including me) by saying he was such a hard worker and already a mature pro at his young age. Contrast that with Hunter Shinkaruk - super slick player, but physically immature compared to his peers at the draft. Lots of 'room to grow'. What happened? He didn't grow. Everyone passed him. Sure, there were many stories out there about everything to do with this kid, and the Flames did pass on him (in hindsight, smartly), but then they went and traded for him (change of scenery trade), and in the end, he just didn't work out. I didn't want Shinkaruk. Turned out, they both busted. Maybe they both busted for the same reasons in spite of their differing sizes and physical development. Sometimes physical development doesn't have anything to do with it.



Sometimes these big guys need more time to 'grow into their bodies' and adjust with things like coordination of muscle-tone. Sometimes smaller guys simply peak earlier, but because they do, they sometimes get a developmental advantage by being given more opportunity earlier on. It is a fascinating discussion really.



I share your concerns Enoch. At the end of the day, this is an 18 year old draft, and therefore it is a crapshoot with low accuracy. Flames have been outstanding at finding players through the draft, and even as free agents (Giordano in the past, Klapka recently). They will miss, but I will always respect them for their swings. Kanzig and Smith were great home-run swings that missed. Gaudreau was a home-run attempt that hit.



I just really find everyone's story really interesting. I just get tired of the 'Kanzig and Smith picks were awful since they were both goons' lazy rationales. Plenty of in-depth articles and interviews around why the Flames drafted them at the time that people ignore, and held onto the 'stupid goon' opinions instead.



With some players, it is super easy to figure out that their size and skill combination will translate. There was no stopping Lindros in junior, and it was the exact same at the NHL level until the concussions stopped him. These are at the top of the draft. Everyone else has warts, and it takes a lot of experience - and sometimes many different sets of eyes, character checks, and the best possible development plan - to get these into the NHL as impact players. I just think that there are many over-sized players that provide a lot of help at the NHL level as there are undersized guys who do the same. Plenty of busts both way too.



If the Flames draft another 6'5"+ player, I will trust that they feel this player is going to be an impact player beyond being a 'goon'. I thought that the Parker Bell and Jaden LIpinski picks were both 'throw-away' picks at the time, but I came to see why the Flames ended up drafting these two. Still long-shots to make it really, but I am glad that they Flames have them in their organization. Hunter Laing is another guy that seemed like a bit of reach for me, but I kept an open-mind about him. There may be something good there - plenty of highlights this past season of him making high-skilled plays. There are often large players that I absolutely don't want the Flames to pick, as I also think they are getting by because of their increased size, but don't have enough in the way of additional tools or skills to make it work at the NHL level.



One guy that I would have loved to see evolve wold have been George Pelawa. What could have been with him. 6'3", but 245lbs of muscle. If that tragic event didn't happen, perhaps he would have been the guy that fans would remember and want the Flames to continue going for an occasional 'size is good' home-run hit where warranted. I bet he would have been something special.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Funkhouser

I've essentially given up hope to get Reschny or Martin. Too bad, as Reschny has been my top target outside the top 8 all year.

Holding out hope for Cootes and praying the Panthers lose in Rd 2.

I feel the same way, but I am also encouraged by the fact that there are a handful of prospects that seem to also be risers. I am more optimistic that the two picks the Flames have (ignoring the possibility of winning the lottery and drafting 6th!!), than I was maybe 3 months ago. There are going to be legitimate upside players where the Flames pick, and that makes me rather happy.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Fun two round mock:

https://www.bleachernation.com/black...d-projections/

I'll preface I don't think BleacherNation has any clue most of the time, but it's still fun to look.

18. Calgary Flames (from NJ) — Jack Nesbitt, C
22. Calgary Flames (from FLA) — Cole Reschny, C (this pick could obviously end up being later)
48. Calgary Flames — Peyton Kettles, RHD

Note: they've got Ryabkin dropping all the way to 39 (Buffalo)

[HighLifeMan]

Originally Posted by Funkhouser

I've essentially given up hope to get Reschny or Martin. Too bad, as Reschny has been my top target outside the top 8 all year.

Holding out hope for Cootes and praying the Panthers lose in Rd 2.

I still think it's very much a possibility that Reschny goes in the back half of the first. This is the NHL after all where size and skating are absolutely prioritized by scouts and GM's to a higher degree then they likely should be.

Reschny is a great prospect but we see these types of talents go later in the draft for a reason. I think back to Zary and Bourque in there respective draft years. When you are sub six foot and don't have high end to elite skating teams overlook what you can bring at the NHL level.

In saying that all it takes is for one team ahead us to take that chance.

This is an interesting draft. Will be fun to follow.

[dammage79]

I'm telling y'all, Ivan Ryabkin is gonna be a Flame. The chips appear to be stacking up that way.

[Monahammer]

I'm choosing to believe that we will pick 6th until that is impossible

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

I'm choosing to believe that we will pick 6th until that is impossible

This is my dream and get one of Frondell or Desnoyers.

[Tbull8]

I’ll throw it out there again. Let’s say Schaefer goes 1 and whoever is at 2 offers you the pick for parekh. Do you take it and draft Misa? I’m starting to lean towards no

[Enoch Root]

I don't get too worked up when guys start playing well and rising out of our range - when that happens, it is also pushing someone else down into our range.

More good players means a stronger draft and a better player for us.